Zzzzzzzzz

Mercy.  I've just watched the first half of the US v Malawi U17 World Cup game, and the announcer correctly called it "tepid."  I know from the report that the US wins courtesy of a complete mental moment by the Malawi GK, so I'll watch enough to see that, then it's bed time.

The most interesting part of the first half was watching the players try to deal with the center referee, the Swiss veteran Massimo Busacca.  They're flop and dive and rant and rave, and he just couldn't care less about their amateur theatrics.

Fire finally corner a win

Pardon the pun, but tonight's game goes to show that if you give a team 14 corner kicks, as Chivas gave the Fire, then you will be punished eventually.  The Fire played an uptempo game, especially considering the sloppy wet and windy conditions, and kept the pressure on Chivas most of the match.  They deserved the win and got the home-win monkey off their backs heading into the playoffs.  Now they wait for the weekend's results to see who they face next.

My man of the match is Patrick Nyarko.  He was a constant threat down the right side and forced more than a few of those corner kicks.

"Just win, baby."

Back before Al Davis became a sad old man and the Oakland/LA/Oakland Raiders became a laughingstock, Al's catch phrase was, "Just win, baby."  And win they did, and I grew up hating them for it.  But it's a pearl of wisdom in sports, really.  Something that maybe Denis Hamlett out to try out on the Fire before tomorrow's BIG GAME against Chivas USA.  Because the Fire seem to have forgotten how to win, going 0-2-4 since their last win on August 23.

It's hard to believe, but the Fire are in second place in the Eastern Conference going into the last week of the season, and they still haven't qualified for the playoffs.  There are more permutations and combinations than any one person can consider at once, but the Fire's reality is simple: win and in.  Actually, tie and in, too.  But if the Fire lose, then the field is wide open.

Just win, baby.

Northwestern keeps on rolling

Northwestern started the day at #17 in the latest NSCAA/adidas Division I Rankings and then closed it out with a 1-0 win over their neighbors to the south, Loyola.  Next up they host Indiana at 3 p.m. on Sunday.  Indiana dropped out of the latest poll, but will be looking to get back in with a win.  The Big Ten Network will show the game.

In the new NSCAA/Adidas Division III Rankings Dominican moved up four spots to #15.

This week in Chicago soccer

For most local teams this is the last full week of regular-season games, and there are some great contests on the calendar. 

The derby of the week is Concordia at Dominican on Wednesday afternoon.  These two universities, Northern Athletics Conference rivals, are both in River Forest less than a mile apart on Division Street.  Expect a good turnout for what is not much of a road trip for the Cougars.

But the marquee matchup will be on Sunday afternoon when #21 Indiana visits #16 Northwesten in Evanston.  I might have to make the trek for that one.  The forecast says it will be cold but clear.  Northwestern has a beautiful new field, aptly called Lakeside Field, right on the shore.  This is a big week for Northwestern, because Tuesday night they host neighboring Loyola.

Monday
Dominican at Edgewood

Tuesday
Argos at OPRF HS (regional tournament)
Western Illinois at UIC
Loyola at Northwestern
St. Xavier at Trinity Christian

Wednesday
Aurora at Wisconsin Lutheran
Anderson at U Chicago
Concordia at Dominican (derby of the week)
DePaul at Butler
Elmhurst at Lake Forest
Millikin at North Park
Wheaton at Illinois Wesleyan

Thursday
Chivas USA at Chicago Fire

Friday
Maranatha Baptist at Concordia
Wheaton at Elmhurst

Saturday
Aurora at Lakeland
Charlton at Gillingham
Syracuse at DePaul
MSOE at Dominican
UIC at Loyola
Rockford at North Park
Olivet Nazarene at St. Xavier

Sunday
UW Whitewater at U Chicago
North Central at Concordia
Dominican at Wartburg
Indiana at Northwestern

Jay DeMerit to have eye surgery on Monday

US and Watford defender Jay DeMerit finally is going under the knife in London on Monday to fix his left cornea.  Originally a cheesehead, DeMerit played at UIC and with the Chicago Fire Premier developmental team before seeking his fortune in England.  The US team is a bit short on defenders at the moment, so let's wish Jay a speedy recovery.

Understanding RPI

I've been pondering the past few days how DePaul could open so high in the RPI yet not get any votes in the poll.  I finally found an explanation of how RPI is calculated (at least for basketball) on the NCAA Web site.  Assuming the same RPI calculation, more or less, is used for soccer, it appears DePaul has been rewarded for playing a very tough schedule, even though it hurt their overall record (and their visibility among pollsters).  On the face of it, for example, DePaul only has played one opponent that was ranked at the time, and they lost 6-0 to #17 Louisville two weeks ago.  But early in the season they beat unranked Northwestern on the road (granted, not much of a road trip), and Northwestern now is ranked #16 and, probably more importantly, #1 in the RPI.  It will be interesting to see how DePaul moves in the RPI as Northwestern itself moves.

High school tournaments are underway

The Illinois Class 1A boys soccer tournament started earlier this week, and Class 2A and 3A start Friday.  We'll be watching most closely OPRF high school, which opens at home on Tuesday, and a few other Chicago-area schools.  We'll also be reporting odds and ends along the way.  You can follow all the action as it happens on the IHSA Web site.

This week in Chicago soccer

In the derby of the week, DePaul's Alex Mangan scored in the 89th minute to tie Loyola.  The teams went on to draw tonight at 2-2 in double overtime.

Tuesday
Aurora 5-1 Rockford
Concordia 1-0 Benedictine
Dominican 6-0 Wisconsin Lutheran

Wednesday
US 2-2 Costa Rica
Loyola 2-2 DePaul (2OT) (derby of the week)
Elmhurst 0-0 North Park (2OT)
UIC 1-0 Ohio State
Northwestern 3-2 Western Illinois

Thursday
OPRF at New Trier
St. Xavier at Northwood (Florida Soccer Classic)

Friday
Marian at Aurora
Rochester at U Chicago

Saturday
Huddlesfield Town at Charlton
Chicago Fire at New England
Concordia at Milwaukee School of Engineering
DePaul at Villanova
Milwaukee at UIC
Wright State at Loyola
Wisconsin at Northwestern
Wheaton at UW Oshkosh
St. Xavier at Flagler (Florida Soccer Classic)

Sunday
Case at U Chicago
Elmhurst at Carthage
UW Whitewater at North Park

College rankings

Northwestern came in at 16 (up from 21) in the latest NSCAA/adidas DI rankings, but has the top spot in the RPI. Congratulations to the Wildcats. If you want to see one of the top teams in the nation by either measure, then head to Lakeside Field this month; the Wildcats open a four-game home stand on Wednesday against Western Illinois.

Kudos to DePaul for coming in 18 in the RPI. The Blue Demons are unranked in DI, not having received a single vote this week. Go figure.

In DIII, Dominican moved into the 19 slot in the NSCAA/adidas poll, while Wheaton dropped out from its spot at 17.

The USA books a spot in South Africa, finally

That's local boy Jonathan Spector in a group hug after the USA beat Honduras 3-2 in San Pedro Sula on Saturday.  Those who actually saw the match described it as "thrilling" and the USA's play as "impressive."  From Arlington Heights, Spector played the full 90 minutes at right back.

I'm hoping the match finds its way to television before the glow wears off.

Quote of the week: Jon Busch

Busch can always be counted on for a good quote, and he did not disappoint after last night's disappointing tie: "We gift wrapped the goals like it's [expletive] Christmas."  He's absolutely right, too.

Fire almosssssst pulls out a win over Toronto

A couple of huge defensive lapses at the start of each half put the Fire in the hole (pardon the pun) but they came back behind two excellent balls from Justin Mapp to Brian McBride.  It pains me to write that because Mapp is my favorite whipping boy, but he had two good plays tonight.  The Fire threw on fresh legs at the end to press for the win, and it almossssssst worked.  As stoppage time ran out, Patrick Nyarko snuck through the tiring Toronto defense and put a great ball across the box.  Unfortunately Calen Carr (I think it was Carr) skied the ball over the bar.  How many times does that happen?  I don't play forward, but it just amazes me how many times a player manages to strike a ball almost vertical in front of the goal.

And speaking of mucking up chances, since when does Chad Barrett actually make the flying full-speed finish?  Not when he wore red, that's when.

Bad day for the Soca Warriors

Some woeful defending tonight by the Junior Warriors, who got spanked by the Young Pharaohs 4-1 in the FIFA U-20 World Cup opener.  The T&T goal keeper Glenroy Samuel could have done much better on the first three Egypt goals (I didn't stick around to watch the last goal at 90').  The US plays Germany on Saturday.

Chicago Fire to recognize the 1984 Chicago Sting

At halftime of this Saturday's game the Chicago Fire will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Chicago Sting's 1984 NASL championship.  Very cool.

Brian McBride answers reader's questions

From the New York Times Goal blog.

This week in Chicago soccer

Tuesday
UW-Platteville at Wheaton
Hinsdale Central at OPRF

Wednesday
Eureka College at Concordia
Edgewood College at Elmhurst

Thursday
Dominican at UW-Whitewater
Downers Grove South at OPRF

Friday
Wheaton at Aurora (derby of the week)
Drake at Northwestern
DePaul at Pittsburgh
Loyola at Cleveland State

Saturday
Exeter City at Charlton
Toronto FC at Chicago Fire
U Chicago at Illinois Wesleyan
St. Xavier at Cardinal Stritch U
Edgewood College at Concordia
Dominican at Lakeland College
Augustana at Elmhurst
Carthage at North Park

Sunday
DePaul at West Virginia
UIC at Cleveland State
Loyola at Valparaiso
SIU Edwardsville at Northwestern

Rankings

This week Northwestern dropped to #17 in the College Soccer News Division I rankings, but dropped out of the NSCAA/adidas Division I rankings.  Wheaton came back in at #23 in the NSCAA/adidas Division III rankings, while North Park and Dominican dropped out.

Questions for Brian McBride, via the New York Times

The New York Times' Goal blog is inviting questions for the Chicago Fire's Brian McBride for an interview scheduled this afternoon.  The deadline is 3:00 CT.

Off topic

This is totally off topic -- I can't make even a tenuous Chicago link here -- but I'm watching Real Madrid v. Xerez from last weekend.  (ESPN360.com is a Godsend for sleepless nights.)  They keep showing the Xerez right back.  The kid's game and working hard, but clearly is in for a long day as Madrid's game plan is run the attack down the left.  That means the kid faces Ronaldo on one attack, then the next time they've switched and he's got Kaka.  Think about that.  I wonder if the kid slept a wink the night before the match.  Real Madrid ended up hammering Xerez 5-0 at Estadio Bernabeu.

From Naperville to Cairo

The FIFA U-20 World Cup starts this week.  The US is in what looks to be a tough group with Cameroon, Germany, and South Korea.  SBI reports that ESPN will cover all 52 matches in some way, shape, or form.  Keep an eye out for Naperville native Michael Stephens.  The former Sockers and Illinois ODP midfielder is a senior at UCLA, and is a rising star for the US.

Still number one

I wasn't able to stay after the Fire match to watch the final of the Pepsi Showdown, but #1 ranked Neuqua Valley beat #4 Lyons 2-1 in double overtime.  From the report I missed a terrific match.

Kissing your sister

This weekend the Chicago Fire and Charlton Athletic each gave back a 2-0 lead to end up tied at 2.  I was at the Fire match, and they played very well.  Unfortunately Columbus tied the game on a late penalty.  From where I was standing, and I had an excellent view, there was no foul in the area.  If there was a foul, then Conde was the victim, not the perpetrator.  C'est la vie.

From what I read Charlton played well yesterday, and going into the match probably would have been happy with a point against the Canaries at Carrow Road.  Despite back-to-back ties the Addicks still are unbeaten. If you had told me at the first of August that Charlton would be unbeaten through eight games, much less 6-2-0, then I would have told you to sober up.

So the weekend ends with both the Fire and the Addicks at the top end of the table and in good shape.  But still.

High school update

The OPRF Huskies boys soccer team made local history last night by playing the first lighted game at the high school stadium.  Unfortunately they lost 3-1 to St. Charles.  Neighbors had fought for years against the lights.  Tonight will be the first American football game under the lights, but unfortunately it will not be an ecumenical event.

This weekend ends the Pepsi Showdown boys tournament.  The finals will be Sunday at Toyota Park after the Chicago Fire game.  Neuqua Valley, Morton, Lyons, and Streamwood are the semifinalists.

Derby day

The Wheaton Thunder beat the Dominican Stars 1-0 in yesterday's west-central suburban derby.  Wheaton won on an 82d-minute goal from captain Matt Swartz.  The goal came off a free kick following the last of Dominican's 12 fouls.  Going into the match Dominican was ranked 15th nationally by the NSCAA.

Will he stay or will he go?

The latest rumor, courtesy of Sports Illustrated, is that Cuauhtemoc Blanco wants to stay in Chicago another year.  That's good news.  He's still a productive player and a fierce competitor.  There's a connection between his return to El Tri and their recent form (of course, sacking SGE helped, too).  He's also a lot of fun to watch, especially at Toyota Park, where you can see his movement and "antics" off the ball.  I will confess, however, that he annoyed the hell out me at the end of the Honduras-Mexico World Cup qualifier; I had to remind myself that I like the guy when he wears red.

This week in Chicago soccer

Wednesday
Concordia at Lake Forest
Dominican at Wheaton (derby of the week)
St. Xavier at Trinity International

Friday
Notre Dame at DePaul
South Carolina at Northwestern (Lakeside Classic)
Loyola at UMKC (UMKC Invitational)
UIC at UNLV
Loras at Wheaton
Chicago at Centre

Saturday
Marquette at DePaul
Marian at Dominican
St. Xavier at Aquinas College

Sunday
Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire
UIC at UC Riverside (Las Vegas)
Loyola at Oral Roberts (UMKC Invitational)
Lafayette at Northwestern (Lakeside Classic)
Aurora at Chicago

Fever pitch - the beginning

I got the soccer bug late in life. Then I got it bad.

It started innocently enough. Several years ago my wife coaxed our then-7-year-old son to play AYSO soccer. Mostly she was trying an early diversion away from (American) football - the big fall sport - and the injuries she was sure would follow down that path. I don't think any mother wants to see her son hit really hard by someone else's really large son moving at a high rate of speed while wearing a hard helmet with the specific intent to cause pain, if not injury. My wife plans ahead. So she acted.

Fair enough, I thought. Soccer looks like a good sport, even though I myself had never played a minute. He could play AYSO in the fall and baseball (a REAL sport, meaning one I played growing up) in the spring. Besides it would be a good way for my kid to meet more kids in our new neighborhood.

I don't even think we had a soccer ball in the house then.

Turned out my kid was really good at soccer. He really liked playing, too. I was now a soccer dad.

So began my slow slide into a magnificent soccer obsession.